Quincy nanny accused of assaulting baby has history of legal woes

The nanny from Quincy charged with assaulting a baby girl who later died has a history of legal troubles, including immigration violations and restraining orders against her. Aisling McCarthy Brady, 34, could face homicide charges in connection with the death of Rehma Sabir, a 1-year-old girl who was in her care at the family’s Cambridge condominium earlier this month.

The nanny from Quincy charged with assaulting a baby girl who later died has a history of legal troubles, including immigration violations and restraining orders against her.

Arrested Monday night at her 145 Beale St. apartment, Aisling (pronounced ASH-ling) McCarthy Brady, 34, could face homicide charges in connection with the death of Rehma Sabir, a 1-year-old girl who was in her care at the family’s Cambridge condominium earlier this month.

Rehma was taken to Children’s Hospital in Boston on Jan. 14 – her first birthday – after police received a 911 call from her family’s residence. She was breathing but unconscious and was declared brain dead two days later.

Brady pleaded innocent Tuesday in Cambridge District Court in Medford to a charge of assault and battery on a child causing substantial bodily injury. A Middlesex County prosecutor said that charge will probably be raised to homicide once autopsy results are complete.

Brady is being held on $500,000 cash bail. She is scheduled to return to court Feb. 22 for a probable cause hearing.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Tuesday that Brady, an Irish immigrant, overstayed a tourist visa in 2002 and is no longer in this country legally.

Brady, who has a sister in Braintree, obtained her marriage license last September in Quincy, marrying an Irish-born man, Don James McCarthy, 38, who listed his occupation as painter. Brady’s marriage license states that she was born in County Cavan.

Jeffrey Baker, a neighbor on Beale Street, said Tuesday that Brady and her husband keep to themselves, “other than an occasional ‘hi’ in the driveway.”

An ad on a nanny website for Brady stated, “I have 6 younger brothers and sisters and 3 older ones. I've been babysitting since I was 13 for neighbors. I've been nannying in Boston now 10 years. I love what I do.”

Since 2005, two restraining orders have been issued against her in Dorchester District Court, and she faced criminal charges in a third case, WCVB-TV reported.

The first restraining order against Brady was issued in August 2005 after David Furey accused her of threatening a female friend and throwing an empty beer bottle at her at a bar in March of that year.

Furey claimed that Brady attacked him in a bar, hitting him in the face with her fists and fingernails.

“I'm afraid of the day that it’s going to be a beer bottle she hits me with or worse,’’ he wrote in the affidavit obtained by WCVB.

Dorchester District Court records also showed that Brady was arrested in 2007 in Dorchester, accused of assaulting a female roommate. The charge was later dismissed.

A second restraining order was filed last March by Olive Scanlon of Dorchester, who said Brady had posted a false claim on a website in Boston, saying Scanlon was abusing children.

Page 2 of 2 - Brady stayed out of sight during her court appearance Tuesday. She stood in a rear corner of the enclosed arraignment dock while her attorney Melinda Thompson spoke, and she wasn’t in view when she was taken from court.

Prosecutor Katharine Folger said the baby had been brutally shaken and was bleeding from her brain and eyes, swelling of the brain and bone fractures.

She said Brady was the only person with the girl when the injuries occurred. Folger said Rehma woke at about 8 a.m. Jan. 14 and was cared for by her mother and Brady before the girl’s mother left, leaving the child alone with Brady.

Ledger reporter Chris Burrell contributed to this report. Lane Lambert may be reached at llambert@ledger.com.